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The Role Of The Yahapālana Opposition

There is a yahapalana government as well as a yahapalana opposition in this country. After the August 2015 parliamentary election, the UNP Speaker refused to recognize the Joint Opposition which had over 50 MPs as a part of the opposition, and gave the opposition leadership to the TNA which had 16 MPs. The JVP which had six MPs was given the position of chief opposition whip. Hence, we now have a situation in this country where the Joint Opposition which votes against the budget every year and opposes the government both inside and outside parliament, is not considered by the UNP Speaker to be a part of the opposition, while the TNA which always votes with the government at the budget and cooperates with them both inside and outside parliament is considered to be the main opposition party.

The TNA and the JVP were included in the all-powerful National Executive Council which was formed over and above the Cabinet to run the country immediately after the 2015 presidential election. When an Anti-Corruption Committee was formed under the leadership of the Prime Minister for the purpose of persecuting and jailing members of the previous government, the JVP and TNA were once again given prominent roles in this set up. For example, the Urgent Response Unit of this Anti-Corruption Committee was placed under the personal supervision of JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In the first days of the yahapalana government, JVP cadres took over the functions of the police and raided various government and private premises searching for evidence of wrongdoing by the previous government.

When this operation was formalized in the form of the FCID, the leaders of the JVP and TNA continued to function in the Anti-Corruption Committee which controlled the new police unit. While masquerading as opposition political parties, the JVP and the TNA have supported every anti-democratic action taken by this government in the past three years. In August 2017, they helped the government pass a new local government elections law in contravention of the Constitution and the standing orders of parliament. A whole new elections system was introduced as committee stage amendments to a Bill that had been introduced in Parliament to correct some technical errors in the then local government elections law. For the first time in parliamentary history, the Bill that was passed at the third reading in Parliament was not the Bill that was debated at the second reading.

It was the JVP that praised and defended the new local government electoral system before the public. In September 2017, the JVP once again helped the government to postpone the Provincial Council elections by providing the two thirds majority required to get a Bill passed in parliament to change the provincial council elections system. In this instance too, committee stage amendments were brought to a Bill that had originally been meant to increase female representation in the provincial councils. Just days ago, when the yahapalana President tried to get his term extended from five to six years, neither the JVP nor the TNA made representations in the Supreme Court against it thus showing where their loyalties lay. It should be borne in mind that the yahapalana President was elected to power on JVP and TNA votes.

Since 1971, the aim of the JVP has been to destroy the state and the country and to create the confusion that will enable them to seize political power. In 1971, they tried to overthrow by force of arms a government that had taken office just nine months earlier, reportedly resulting in the deaths of 10,000 youths. Though the JVP caused the deaths of an estimated 60,000 people in 1987-89 in an insurgency against the introduction of the present provincial councils system, today, they show no opposition the proposed new constitution which will divide Sri Lanka into nine semi-independent federal units. It may be the case that they feel that the anarchy resulting from the breakup of the country will be their ticket to power.

In their failed bids to seize power in 1971 and 1987-89 through armed rebellion, the JVP banned elections and murdered voters who went to the polling booth. They killed hundreds of minor government officials such as grama sevakas to disrupt the functioning of the government. They killed hundreds of transport workers in an effort to disrupt the transport system. They killed policemen in a bid to bring law enforcement to a halt. They attacked army camps in the South to collect weapons for their campaign of terror when the entire Army had been mobilized for the Vadamarachchi operation to dislodge the LTTE from the Jaffna peninsula in 1987. They killed members of the armed forces and police in their bid to capture power and even went beyond the LTTE by murdering family members of armed forces personnel as well.

During the JVP’s second insurrection in 1987-89, its main leaders were not hiding in the jungles like most leaders of guerilla movements but living a comfortable life disguised as a prosperous planters and businessmen with the money and gold looted from banks and money extorted from businesses. Yet today, JVP parliamentarians stand before the people as the most incorrupt, innocent politicians ever to be born in this country. The TNA for its part supported the terrorism of the LTTE until the latter was destroyed by my government.

Organisations like the TNA and the JVP may excel at talking but are failures in administration. In 2004-2005 the JVP held four powerful portfolios in the Chandrika Kumaratunga government one of which was the Agriculture, Land, Irrigation and Livestock ministry run by Anura Kumara Dissanayake with Bimal Ratnayake as his deputy. It was Minister Dissanayake who presented to the Cabinet paper No: 05/0036/039/002 dated 4 January 2005 to initiate the Uma Oya project. My government later implemented this project which had been under discussion by various governments for more than fifty years.

At the end of December 2014 just days before my government was voted out of power, water began seeping into a tunnel being constructed as part of the Uma Oya project. The incompetent government that assumed power after me, failed to take remedial steps in time and the water seepage increased and caused a depletion of ground water in the entire area resulting in damage to buildings and crops. When problems arose in the Uma Oya project the JVP dived under their beds and while concealing from the public their own role in initiating the Uma Oya project, they tried to lay the blame for everything on my government saying that all these problems had been caused by my attempt to divert up-country water resources to the south.

If the JVP is unable to stand by and defend or even acknowledge the role they played in the only large scale development project ever initiated by a JVP minister, and they dive under their beds at the slightest sign trouble, how are they to carry out any kind of development work? When tunnels are being constructed, the ground water above it naturally seeps into the passageway. This has to be controlled by sealing the tunnel as the drilling proceeds. The Uma Oya contractors have now brought down the necessary equipment and the water seepage has been contained. In implementing development projects, problems do emerge and they have to be solved – that is what administrators are supposed to do. The JVP does not have what it takes to deliver results. This is why over 70,000 young people lost their lives in the JVP’s armed insurgency misadventures. One cannot expect failed rebels to become effective administrators.

In 2002, the JVP won the Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha after they linked up with the Chandrika Kumaratunga government in 2001. They won the Tissamaharama PS again when they were supporting my government in 2006. But after they stopped working with us in 2011, they lost the Tissamaharama PS and went down to third place. Political parties like the JVP and the TNA are parties of agitators and can never be successful administrators. The JVP’s administration of their four ministries in 2004-2005 was similar to the TNA’s administration of the Northern Provincial Council. The voting public should understand that what we have in this country is an incompetent yahapalana government and an equally incompetent yahapalana opposition – both of which should be rejected by the people.

Latest comments

Rarityminds/January 21, 2018

Yes, the current govt is incapable since they di dnot allow HAGUE to catch you.

And not forgetting, they have not speeded up getting you and your murderous family by horns.

Not a single person in your family is civilized.

That at least 6.2 millions of voter eligibles knnow but those punnakku eating your gallery people let you abuse them even today.

Please give us a break disppear forever from our sight – that can help all srilankens to work for permament peace. You the like extremists should be put in jails for the rest of your life.

Mother lanka will then be happy no doubt about that.

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nimal fernando/January 22, 2018

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Mahinda Rajapaksa The Great!
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One of my split personalities is starting to believe in you!
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Now only if he could’a figure out why you are great …………. he sees only the gigantic cut-outs …….sooooo……… tell me more, tell me more, for the reasons for your greatness………or would ye rather leave it to ye foot-servants?
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Ah! my motherland ………..land like no other ……when others go forward …….we go backward at the same speed. ………..70 years in the reverse gear ………no complaints the visuals outta the windows are great! ……….not many other countries are blessed with such privilege…………

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Champa/January 22, 2018

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Rarityminds
What are you saying? Mother Lanka will be happy if MR is in jail??? If that happens, Mother Lanka will weep for ingratitude and unkindness of a nation.
Man, don’t forget you owe your life to former President. Your comment is a treason to mankind.

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Rarityminds/January 23, 2018

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Mother lanka will be celebrating entire future, knowing that MAFIA king of the extremists is no longer there.

A way I like the men that looted CB to be investigated, and be punished, then entire island will have to be ready to send RAJAPAKSHEs one by one to the jail. They should be rotten in cells for the harm deliberatly made by abusing MEDIA men to paint the picture other way around.
Even today, ballige putha knows nothing, but to entertain the gallery. How many months we have to wait to see the bugger being caught by horn.
Buddhsa teachings are truth the day I will get to see, the bugger et al be jailed.
The day, that reconcilation starts for all folks under one nation.
These the kind fo ballige puthas should be hung by their balls – ENOUGH is ENOUGH

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Champa/January 23, 2018

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Rarityminds
Practice what you preach. Ranil was caught red-handed but the Bond Commission was scared to recommend any action. Not only that Ranil seem to have even interfered in selecting as to who in AG’s Department should implement the recommendations stipulated in the Bond Report. Otherwise there is no reason to exclude Dappula de Livera and Yasantha Kodagoda, the two Senior Additional Solicitors General who won tremendous respect from people.

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Rarityminds/January 23, 2018

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nO leelawathi, he is not caught red handed.

The change of the system allowed to rob those sums, but I am sure, ballige putha eta ll grabed over 100 billions – wait and see, time will show. Those judges have confirmed this has been from 2008.
But rodias led lanken MEDIA beat only RW. That is unfair.
Sure, we are happy if they would treat everyone with the same spoon.

Wait and see, Rajapakshe will be caught in few months.

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Nimal/January 21, 2018

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My God, holy cow, man how about all those people who were pick up in the dead of the night by your’s and your dear brother Gota’s Death scouds, and killing them without any trace. Now you are shedding crocodile tears to grab power by any means to save your skin, and stirring up troubles every where using the looted money. Whatever said and done at least people are free of fear and free to go about their lives.

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nimal fernando/January 22, 2018

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“My God, holy cow, man how about all those people”
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If good ol’ Donald can “enlighten” a vast swath of “supposedly” :)) highly technically advanced nation – that have sent men to the moon – it’s just a cakewalk for Mahinda to put on a national-dress and send his children to the village school and be one of the villagers. He is nothing but one of them ……..so they vote for him in droves! ………..So, what’s wrong?
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The politicians, leaders, religions, what-have-you …………supply/provide only the catalyst ………we do the rest and deceive/fool ourselves ……..just look around and observe ………..
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So, why blame others if we are unable to see ……..and end-up deceiving ourselves?
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That’s why people shun societies and end-up going into the jungles and live solitary lives …………one can also find solitude in the concrete-jungles………….

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Douglas/January 21, 2018

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Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse: On simple advice by a commoner to you is: Don’t ever lend your name to some BS written by another goon of yours, who makes a living licking your feet. It was disgusting to read at the very beginning the statement: ” UNP Speaker refused to recognize the Joint Opposition which had over 50 MPs as part of the opposition”. How did those 50 numbers entered Parliament and with what political party nominations? Even after entering the Parliament, did you take necessary recognizable, and legitimate actions to “relinquish” the party affiliations from that which those 50 received nominations and contested at the election of August 2015? Do you want us to forget and forgive you for securing the votes in the name of that political party or “Front” that nominated you and subsequently enter Parliament and form into a “Pseudo Joint Opposition”? Even as at date you have not “Relinquished” that Party/Front affiliations and continue to hood wink the people with that Pseudo name Joint Opposition. You should have had at least the COURAGE and the COMMON SENSE to “Resign” from the affiliated Party/Front and sit in the Parliament as INDEPENDENTS to form an “Opposition” and then make a claim to be Official Opposition. In this case, I blame the Speaker for giving even that “Limited Recognition” to your clownish JO. After reading that part reproduced above, I did not care even to read through the rest of the article that would invariably contain more and more rubbish and BS. Just GIVE UP man. You are an UNRECOVERABLE DEBT.

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Ajith/January 21, 2018

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Dear friend Mahinda,
I don’t know who writes in your name but it is very clear that you don’t know the basics of governance. You should first know that the joint opposition is not a political party. Still you don’t know which political party you now belong to. Have you given up your SLFP membership? Have your brother given up his US citizenship? I am so sad that still think that you can cheat Sinhala masses with your acting. Can you please surrender all of the wealth you accumulated by stealing the public money back?

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Rarityminds/January 22, 2018

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As I read somewhere else, it is high time MR to start learning the basics from the kindergarten.
He should rather focus on educating himself .. leaving us all in piece.

His public statments mislead the nation – particularly the gulliable.

That alone is a high crime .. knowing those people would become fools, to go for that is a high crime.

I have noticed, he cant know the difference between MILLIONS and BILLIOONS.
The kind of buffaloes to lead millions of people – SHOULD be karma of people.

We are no better to Zimbawians whose literacy rates really low.
The problmes has been we the srilankens can read and write, but we are just easy prey of the poöliticians not having good attitudes.

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LittleisimonfromBerlin/January 22, 2018

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Douglas, I am not living in SL, I ve got a question.
Why is that he is allowed to canvass for other party – BUD, while he has still been in SLFP ?
Where on the earth the kind of day light abuses being permitted ? We are no in poor Africa. Why cant the party authorities together with Election commission take due actions against the bugger ?

In Europian party consitutions, that is a punishable act. Why does not lanken legal authorities take action against him ? if the law and order is equal to every citizen ?

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Shenal/January 22, 2018

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Douglas,

If the current speaker had any kind of ignominy, he should have recognized the combined opposition outright. However, as the events had turned out the speaker couldn’t differentiate between the combined opposition members and yahapalana government members. So, if Mahinda’s group decided to go independent they will lose the privileges they enjoy as a oppositions members of the parliament such as the time to speak in debates. Government is looking for such opportunities to silence the combined opposition. Why should they play into government’s hand?
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Why do you think that JO should not even have the “limited recognition”? Is it because you are afraid of them speak out against the government? Also, I just want to ask you that did JVP resigned from the affiliated party/front back in 2006 when then joined the opposition?

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Jim softy/January 21, 2018

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Mahinda Rajapakse is another politician who never accept that he did something wrong. HE is over and over again criticize others and for the last three years he is not giving it up instead he sabotages to his best of ability. Just Like UNPATRIOTIC party Leader and MPS, Mahinda rajapakse and His Pohottuwa are the same. both parties are headed by corrupt leaders and corrupt members. TNA is over representing Tamils. JVP and TNA got the same number of votes. But JVP is just 5 or 6 members while TNA has 16 members. IT is all corruptions in the politics so no one corrects it.
Past Che guveras and the present JVP are not the same. JVP has done some mistakes in placing the trust on political parties. At least for the time being JVP and independent Candidates are the ones to vote. AKD also should think about handing over the leadership to Sunil Handunneththi.
It is unfair to consider the 1971 JVP, 1989 JVP and present JVP to be the same.
SLPP aka JAckal Opposition aka Pohottuwa is full of thieves. I do not think anyone tryst Pohottuwa, breakaway factions of SLFP and LSSP, NFF etc.,
ANOTHER LOSER IS ARJUNA RANATUNGA. HE SHOULD TAKE OVER THE CRICKET BOARD. I DON’T THINK HE CAN MANAGE A MINISTRY.

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Shenal/January 22, 2018

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Jim,

I think you have got mistaken. There were several instances where Mahinda has accepted that he had erred back in his tenure and that made him lose the election. He had even openly claimed his “advisers” made him lose. Anyhow, not only him even Basil and Wimal also claimed that they made mistakes in their last tenure. I only hope that they have learnt their lesson well.

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Jim softy/January 22, 2018

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See IT is Technucal experts who should decide whether a project is feasible or not. Mahinda rajapakse had 100 odd advisors and 100 odd ministers. Yet, he says he di dnot get the opinion of Technical experts instead, he did what JVP asked and built the umaoya project and now it is a failure. WHAT DID THE TECHNICAL EXPERTS SAY ABOUT THE PROJECT. THEY DID NOT PREDICT THE PROBLEM ? OR THEY WERE NOT CONSULTED ?
Ranil Wickramsinghe’s anti corruption committee. Mahinda aknows what kind of pathetic politician Ranil is. Even now he has appointed MARAPANA to srudy the PCOLI bond report. He is preaching that in political meetings. I hope voters will not get caught in Ranil’s lies.

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Shenal: We did not elect him to do the damage and express his regrets.He is no baby.He should learn nhis lesson and not attempt to bring back the crooks like Wimal, Jhonston and others.

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Simon De Silva/January 22, 2018

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He has been trying to find ways to stay impunity, but that will never be forever. This man will surely end up in a prison. He will die in a prison. This is what anyone with a little brain would feel . Entire family will have to face it including platic queen. Namal and Yoshita have no future. They have the same padikkam style MR mouth piece. Son like father. Father is a brutal personality who has abused the power to core.
So how can he be exemplary.
He should have long been in a prison cell, if lanken law bound authorities exercise real laws.
Crime is crime regardless of the size of the person s status.

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Champa/January 22, 2018

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Voting JVP is a definite NO NO. There is no argument.
If they think that people will forgive them so easily, they are very much mistaken. JVP is trying to swim through troubled waters thinking that their opponents can’t swim. JVP policies are now in line with treacherous UNP policies. They are more capitalist than even UNP.
However, Mr. Former President, you can’t blame Yahapalanaya for making TNA as the official Opposition. Despite repeated requests by people, you weren’t agreeable to lead the JO as the Opposition Leader. When you couldn’t form a government for reasons beyond your control, the country expected you to be at least the Opposition Leader and take the struggle forward. You abandoned people’s struggle after August 2015. Now there is no point of blaming others.

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Jim softy/January 23, 2018

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CHAMPA: When you recommend the former JVPer and the public thief wimal Weerawansha your recommendations are not worth accepting. Mahinda Rajapakse also cheated CHEATED JVP. SO, if JVP keeps anger against SLFP, that is understandable. Mahnda Rajapakse tried his best to fragment JVP by taking their mouth piece weerawansha to UPFA side and more. So, JVP is aligned more with UNP is understandable even though not correct.

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Champa/January 23, 2018

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Jims
Exactly. JVP is aligned with UNP and that is a valid reason to not to vote JVP aka the Capitalist Comrades!!!

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People assume JO is the opposition as the official opposite is a prop for the fake GG govt. with an eye to federal system with provision to Eelam.

Don’t blame the speaker as well, as necessity has made him stupid;

Take pity on him.

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Hela/January 22, 2018

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The existence of a majarapalana govt and a pliant official opposition appointed by them is a fact. It is very visible to independent observers. This is the five star democracy Shyamons, Tisaranees and others crow so much about. This is the revolution they crave for. But the project has miserably failed and it is dead. Now they try to hoodwink the masses again showing bogus differences to pickpocket the votes. Once the elections are over these hyenas will get together again to finish off the carcass.

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K.Pillai/January 22, 2018

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MR blames Speaker for not giving the opposition leadership to JO. But Jo was not a registered party in August 2015 and still is not.

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edwin rodrigo/January 22, 2018

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The 18th dream of King Kosala:

King: Lord, I dreamt of a great chariot race where many teams were competing. The main attention was on two teams, one flying a Lion flag and the other a Tiger flag. As the race progressed, the Tiger Charioteer started to eat chicken forgetting the race. Then he began to inflate first like a balloon and then faster and faster like the inflationary stage of a Ladaru Sakwala (Infant universe). Then a dart came out of the mouth of one of the horses in the Lion team striking the Tiger charioteer in the belly. He exploded like the universe in the big bang phase.

The Lion charioteer got a standing ovation from the Lions and claimed all the glory ignoring the real hero. Afterwards, he became the world champion by using all kinds of foul tricks even on his fans. He ran over people, dragged some in to his chariot by force, threw out some whom he did not like and generally started to behave like a thug.

Lord, what does all this mean? Am I going to lose the championship?

Buddha: Noble king. Do not worry. This has nothing to do with the next championship race. You are going to win it fairly and squarely and will continue to do so as long as you live and then your son will follow. This is again about Lankadweepa and portends that there will be a brutal war between two clans after about 2500 years from now, which will be won by the Lion clan. After the victory, the Lion leader will behave like a bull in a China shop killing, maiming, torturing and jailing lions as well as tigers.

Anyway, you have nothing to worry, Noble King.

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Douglas/January 22, 2018

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LittleisimonfromBerlin: Good Question. I too have the same question; but being so acquainted with politics and Leaders of this country, I have found an answer. These “Political Parties” are NOT political parties. Those are formed and operated for and on behalf of the “Leaders” to make a living by LOOTING and committing CRIMES in dealing with properties that belong to the people and the country. All of them take turns and make a living that which they could never have earned and achieved. So in simple terms it is “You scratch my back and I will scratch your back”.

Shenal: You don’t seem to get at the basics of Parliamentary System of Government and Opposition. So please live with what you believe and make an end with it. I do not wish to waste my time with you any more.

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Jim softy/January 22, 2018

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Mahinda Rajapakse now says his advisors and even Namal ruined him. YEt, All his family is in FCID. It s Because of Ranil’s FCID. Ranil’s foreign Exchange control act. Many politicians escaped, no recovery, no fines, just police jail that is all. Now, a politician with over 50 years of experience blames everybody. He doe snot say he screwed it up really bad. Even the was is because of his brother and the arfmy commander which he treated him really bad.

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K.Anaga/January 22, 2018

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Sampanthan is Neither FISH nor Fowl nor Vegetable- a faithful servant to Ranil. Their bond is too Sticky/Tricky to separate.

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